Poweb-dbive attachment pob cobn pickebs



March 27-, 1923 1,664,232

K. TJOSSEM v POWER DRIVE ATTACHMENT FOR CORN FICKERS Filed Dec, 1925 Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KINNEY TJOSSEM, OF PAULLINA, IOWA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 SWEN SKAAB, O1

PAULLINA, IOWA.

POWER-DRIVE ATTACHMENT FOR CORN PICKERS.

Application filed December 6, 1926. Serial No. 152,829.

My invention relates to a power drive attachment for corn planters, and it is my object to provide, in combination with an ordinary type of corn picking vehicle, a power plant and drive transmission taken from a used automobile and so arranged and adapted, relative to the corn picking vehicle, that it may be used, not only for driving the power takeoff or elevator drive shaft of the vehicle, but also for driving the main or travel wheels thereof.

I am aware that it is not new to adapt a second hand automobile power plant and transmission to a corn-pickin machine, but those who have. done so, have been successful only in driving the power takeoff shaft or, as it is technically known, the second elevator drive shaft which serves ordinarily to transmit power received from the main wheels to the various moved parts of the vehicle. As yet, it has not been considered practical or possible to convenientl arrange the power transmission so as to o tam, not only this result, but also the added result of propelling the machine through the field. Consequently, in such power-driven machines, it has been necessary to draw the vehicle in the old way, by means of horses or tractors. My invention successfully propels the machine through the field as well as drivin the moving parts thereof.

With tfiese and other objects in view, my invention consists in the constructlon, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the ob ectscontemplated are attained, as hereina ter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which c Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a corn picking vehicle, only enough, thereof, being shown to illustrate the attachment of the second hand automobile power plant and transmission thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle frame illustrating the attachment constituting my invention. The drive chains are not shown.

' F ig.3 is adetail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

My. invention is applicable to that type of corn picking machine which includes a frame comprising a pair of longitudinal beams 10 and 11, supported upon the axle 12, which in turn is supported by the main wheels 13. The longitudinal beams 10 are connected at their forward ends by cross beams 14 and at the rear ends by cross beams 15 and 16. The latter two cross beams are extended to support the boxings 17 and 18 in which is journalled the power take-off or second elevator shaft 19. Main drive sprockets 20 are secured to the main drive wheels 13 and are aligned with the sprockets 21 011 the shaft 19. Chains ordinarily extend around the sprockets 20 and 21 and are tightened by means of a chain tightener including a bracket arm, journalled in the bracket 22, one of which is shown in Fig. 2, and a sprocket j ournalled upon the end of said arm and riding upon the chain approximately in the position occupied by the sprocket 23 shown in Fig. 1. 7

It has not been thought necessary to illustrate this chain tightener construction in the drawings, since it is a well-known construction used on the popular type of corrrpicking machine herein described.

Reference has already been made to previous efforts to adapt a second-hand automobile transmission to such a corn picker. In that construction, the rear axle housing has been mounted transversely between the beams 10 and 11 and sprockets placed on the ends of the shaft and aligned with the sprockets 21.' A direct drive has been made between the sprockets 21 and the drive sprockets, said drive comprising a chain passing only over the two sprockets.

It has been found that such a direct drive can be obtained by leaving the rear axle transmission in its normal relation to the power plant.

It has not been considered possible to drive both shaft 19 and main wheels 13 from this attached power tIilIlSl'lllSSlOIl.

I find, however, that by re-arranging the parts of the transmission and by the proper arrangement of the transmission to the sprockets 21 and 20 respectively, that this can be accomplished. I do it in the following manner.

The chain tightening devices, which have been mentioned but not shown in the drawings, are removed and the rear axle housing 25 of the power transmission device is mounted so as to bring the sprockets 23, which are carried by the rear axle 26 of that transmission, as near as possible to the usual position occupied by the chain tighteners which have been removed. In order V arrow Y29 and the chain 80 is then passed underneath the sprocket23 in approximately to accomplish, this and in order to provide for securing-the housing 25 to the beams 10 for proper stability, the beams are cutaway slightly as at 27 to receive. the housing 2 5, and U bolts 28 are extended through the.

beams 10 and secured, thereto, as shown in Fig. 3, said U boltsapassmg overthehousing. Were the transmission mechanism allowed to remain unchanged,in the arrangement of Consequently, I reverse the position otthe j ringgear l'o'tthe transmission so that it engages the opposite side oi the drive 13111 1011; 32 from that previously engaged.

Thus the direction of rotation given to the sprockets 23 willbe as indicated by the the san'ie position. as was originally had, relative to the chain tightener sprocket. Thus the sprockets 23 serve, not only as drive sprockets, but also serve to take the place of the tightener sprockets originally necessary in order to obtain the proper tracgt'ion, of the chain against the sprockets 21.

several sprockets between the wheels and' ltzthenbecomes possible to gain the proper traction against the sprockets 23 by inserting between the sprockets and the main,

drive sprockets the idler sprockets 35." The latter sprockets are mounted upon brackets 36 securedtothe beams 10 or in any other suitable manner.

It, will be understood that the particular mounting of the brackets is lmmaterlal, it

being only essential that they be positioned above the sprockets 23 and thatthe latter be positioned near enough to the sprockets 21 to allow the insertion of the idler sprockets In this connection, it may be stated that the distance between the wheels 13 and the shaft 19 is actually not quite as great as is shownin the drawings, the latter being somewhat exaggerated for the sake of clearness.

It becomes necessary, therefore, to observ care in providing enough room for the the sprockets 21. The removal of the orig inal chain tightener sprockets and the positioning of the sprockets 23'near to the. sprockets 21 makes this possible; Thepositioning, of the idlers 35 above the sprockets 23falso aids in securing sufficient, room for the several sprockets.

The propellershait 37,."is positioned to one side of the center of theirame for two reasons, first, in order not to interfere with the husking; mechanism, 38, and second, in order not to interfere with the tilting lever 39. As to the former, the husking mechanism iSQJQSitlOllBdiitO the other side of the longitudinal axis of the frame from the propellr-shaiitBTahd is not shown in Fig. 2 in order to obtain clearness.

The power, plant" 4.0 may now bepositioned to one sideot'the upper stub= tongue 41 and secured directly thereto, so thatrthe lever .39 is allowed to extend, up between the stub tongue 41 and the-powenplant-and to be operated so as to vary-the distancebetween the upper tongue 41 and lower tongue 42 which is connected ,to the tongue 'truck for the purposeof, tilting the machine around the axis otthe main wheels in'the ordinary manner: 'l h'e usual tilting of the frame is thus left undisturbed bypositioning the powerplaint-to one sideof the stub tongue and bysupporting it entirely upon the, upper stub tongue by'means of brackets 42 and 43'. s

Iihavetested a machine built according to I the above description and find that it issuecesstul' in the field. The use; of a second hand power plant is anadvantage in that'it makes the cost of motorizing the-picklervery small and utilizes what-is becomingavery extensivewaste product, namely, the second hand automobile. The SUCCG'SSfIl "application of the invention therefore; results in: an"

economical benefit inhelping to remove-from an overloaded"market, avportion ofthed-iscarded I second hand. pleasurecars and the like, i which would otherwise be -reduced: to junk: r

Some changes; maybe-made in the-construction and-arrangement;of the parts of myinvention withoutdeparting-frbm' the real spirit and purpose of-my-invent ionyand it is my intenti-on to coverby my claims,

any, modified forms obstructure or use of mechan cal "equivalents, wh ch 'may be reasonably included within thei-n'scopew I claim as, my invention 1.' In combination withacorn picking;

vehicle ,having main wheels, a frame including spaced longitudinal bealnssupported between said'wheels, amain driv-esprocket on one of the main wheels," an elevator drive shattg'journalled'uponthe frame, just above said beams, parallel tot-he main wheelaxis and spaced from the wheels, elevator-drive sprockets on said shaft, aligned-with the main drive sprockets, a chain connecting said sprockets, a power drive attachment comprising an automobile powen plant and transmission, mounted upon'the fram'e, the rear axle housing otthe transmission being secured transversely upon the beams, power drive sprockets-secured to saidnailei and;

aligned with the elevator drive and main s rockets, and idler sprockets supported a ove said power drive sprockets and between them and the main wheels, the chains passing under the power drive sprockets and over the idler sprockets.

2. In combination with a corn picking vehicle having main wheels, a frame including spaced longitudinal beams supported between said wheels, a main drive sprocket on one of the main wheels, an elevator drive shaft journalled upon the frame, just above said beams, parallel to the main wheel axis and spaced from the wheels, elevator drive sprockets on said shaft, aligned with the main drive sprockets, a chain connecting said sprockets, and normally having chain tightening sprockets mounted to ride upon the chain in positions between the elevator drive sprockets and the main drive sprockets, said tightening sprockets being removed, a power drive attachment comprising an automobile power plant and transmission, mounted upon the frame, the rear axle housing of the trans mission being secured transversely upon the beams in osition to bring the axle thereof substantia ly in coincidence with the axes of the removed tightening sprocket-s, power drive sprockets secured to said axle and aligned with the elevator drive and main s rockets, and idler sprockets supported a ove said power drive sprockets and between them and the main wheels, the chains passing under the power drive sprockets and over the idler sprockets, and the transmission ring gear being reversed in the axle to reverse the direction of rotation thereof from its ori 'nal direct-ion of rotation.

3. In com ination with a corn pickin vehicle having main wheels, a "frame inclu ing spaced longitudinal beams sup orted between said wheels, upper and ower stub tongues connected with the frame and connected by a tilting lever, a main drive sprocket on one of the main wheels, an elevator drive shaft journalled upon the frame, just above said beams, parallel to the main wheel axis and spaced from the wheels, ele vator drive sprockets on said shaft, aligned with the main drive sprockets, a chain connecting said sprockets, a power drive attachment comprising an automobile power plant and transmission, mounted upon the frame, the rear axle housing of the trans mission being secured transversely upon the beams,power drive sprockets secured to said axle and aligned wit-h the elevator drive and main sprockets, and idler sprockets supported above said power drive sprockets and between them and the main wheels, the chains passing under the power drive sprockets and over the idler sprockets, and the power plant being secured entirely to the upper stub ton 'ue and at one side thereof so as not to interfere with the operation of the tilting lever.

Signed this 18" day of November, 1926, at Sioux City, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa.

KINNEY TJOSSEM. 

